The Alt-Hist File: The Phone Booth: Season 1

We're doing something a little different today. Usually, when I review a show, I prefer to have it complete or close to complete so I can take the whole experience into account. But we're shaking up the old formula. In fact, this new way of reviewing just might become a staple part of Th Alt-Hist File and The Audio File. We're taking the look at the first season of an exciting newcomer to the audio drama world. We're taking a look at season one of The Phone Booth. 

The Phone Booth takes place in a world where ninety-nine percent of humanity has developed superpowers. It all started on a seemingly unremarkable day in 2004. Then a teenage girl named Beca Orlofsky floated into the skies above New York City and exploded into pink dust. This day would forever be known as B-Day. The dust traveled across the world, and by the time it settled, almost the entire human race had developed superpowers of some sort. Fifteen years later, investigative podcaster Joe Pollard is traveling the world interviewing people about the ways B-Day has impacted their lives. For these people entered the phone booth as regular people, but they exited it as something more. 

I'll give some general thoughts before we get into the individual episodes. I became aware of The Phone Booth one I was scrolling though the Apple podcast app one day. It was one of those "people who listened to this show also listened to..." sort of things. Then I was over on the audio drama subreddit when I saw a post from The Phone Booth's creator, Keenan Ellis, asking if anyone would review his show. I said yes, but I had to take care of a few other projects first, but now here we are. 

I must say, I was very impressed with what I listened to. The Phone Booth can best be described as World War Z (book, not movie) with superheroes rather than zombies. This is no accident, as Keenan has admitted World War Z was a big inspiration. The Phone Booth was originally going to be a book, but then Keenan decided to turn it into an audio drama. How hard could it be? Well, a lot harder than he anticipated, but I'm glad he stuck with it and produced an amazing show. He even founded his own podcasting company called The Fool's Gallery. 

Besides being a great writer, Keenan is a great voice actor. In fact, all of the voice actors and actresses featured in the series do an outstanding job. It is top of the line voice acting, which I always appreciate that in an audio drama. The title refers to how Superman enters a phone booth as Clark Kent, but comes out as The Man of Steel. It's a metaphor for what happened on B-Day. 

So, with all of that out of the way, let's get into the individual episodes. 

There is an episode zero, but it sets up the premise, and we already talked about that. Well, one interesting thing we learned is that there were superheroes prior to B-Day. I hope that gets expanded on in future episodes, and we get to see how those heroes are adjusting to then post B-Day world. I will say that it kind of reminded me of the opening of the Wild Cards series, edited by George R.R. Martin. I wonder if that was an influence. 

Episode one is titled "Sunshine Girl." Fire chief Lynn Knox always dreamed about being a superhero when she was young. She even made her own costume and called herself Sunshine Girl. When B-Day happened, it seemed like a dream come true. But a dream come true was a bit more than she bargained for.

The first full episode of The Phone Booth starts out strong. At one point or another, we've all fantasized about getting superpowers, and what we might do with them. Of course, a bunch of people who suddenly find themselves with superpowers, and no idea how to control them, will mean a lot of collateral damage. Still, despite the chaos Knox rose to the occasion and helped save people. She even saved her father. He got the power to breathe underwater, but at the cost of being able to breath air. He's living in the Great Lakes now, but at least he's joined a nice school of fellow water-breathers. 

There's a strong theme of "well, now what?" throughout this episode. Indeed, that's a recurring theme throughout much of The Phone Booth. The Phone Booth is a story about ordinary people making their way through and extraordinary world. All in all, a solid first episode. 

Episode two is titled "h2o." It tells of a former anthropologist named Taylor Browning who is the leading voice of the anti-superpowers movement. She tells of what happened when she and her wife were on a remote island, studying and isolated tribe, during B-Day. 

This episode has two things I hope we see expanded upon in future episodes. It shows the effects of B-Day outside of America, and it is told from the perspective of a non-powered individual. Taylor and the tribe were part of the one percent of humanity that didn't get any superpowers. However, her wife got the power to turn into water, and more importantly, to produce water. This was pretty handy, given that the dust from B-Day screwed with the weather. However, the water she could produce was finite. That was a nice subversion of how elemental powers tend to be unlimited. A reasonably solid second episode. 

Episode three is titled "The Book of Beca." Joe interviews two brothers who have created a religion based around Beca Orlofsky. I know that's not much of a discretion, but there's more too it. 

The brothers grew up in an orphanage following B-Day. As you can imagine, there were a lot of orphans after B-Day. There were also plenty of kids abandoned by their parents, who couldn't care for them anymore. Oh, they promised to come back for them, but most didn't keep that promise. The older brother has the power of flight, and describes flying in almost religious terms. The little brother gained the power to play any musical instrument. I liked how he showed that not all of the superpowers are flashy or combat oriented. 

Towards the end of the interview, the masks slip, and the brothers hint that they're aware their religion is probably bunk. They're aware, but they also believe people need something to guide them and give them purpose and meaning in their brave new world. More importantly, they themselves need something to help keep going. If you've followed this blog for a while, you know I don't have much love for religion. Thus, it is a testament to Keenan's skill as a writer that I was able to sympathize with the brothers. That, and the voice actors did and exceptional job. The Phone Booth bowls a turkey for great episodes. 

Episode four is titled "Joe in Minor Key." Joe has booked a private performance with a musician named Rosalind Ria. She has the power to call-forth memories using her music. As in, the music creates visions of your past before you. As such, we get insights into Joe and his past. 

Well first off, this episode really shines thanks to special musical guest Audri Cole. The singing and guitar work were great. This episode confirmed something I'd suspected from the start: Joe doesn't have any superpowers. Or to put it another way, he's just an Average Joe. We also get to learn about his personal experiences with B-Day, and his relationship with his parents. I really enjoyed this episode; more podcasts and audio dramas need to start doing musical episodes. It's a great use of the medium. 

Episode five is titled "Amalgamation." Following B-Day, America fragmented into seven nations. They've all reunited by the present day. Well, all except for Los Angles, that is. Los Angles is home to a hive-mind entity known as The Union, and it has agreed to have an interview with Joe. 

This is easily one of my favorite episodes of the bunch. A hive-mind, as best I can explain it, is one mind split among many bodies. Think of it sort of like an ant colony or a bee hive. They're made of individual members who have their own functions, but they're also working towards a shared goal as though they were one organism. Hive-minds are incredibly difficult to write well, especially when given a sympathetic treatment. It is a testament to Keenan's writing abilities that he manages to make The Union sympathetic and relatable, but also feels not quite human. The Union was first awakened during B-Day when it emerged from the mind of a man named Robert. I can best explain it as a psychic subconscious we all have, but few truly awaken. 

It was ravenous, constantly needing to consume other minds and consciousnesses. It consumed just about everyone in Los Angles. Then, for reasons even The Union can't say, it stop short of devouring the minds. Instead, keeping the, within itself, and hearing them screaming to be free. So, slowly, but surely, it is returning the minds to their original bodies. This will, of course, not end well for The Union. It needs minds to sustain itself, and without them it will die. Still, for whatever reason, it is choosing to do good and free them. 

It was an interesting twist to make The Union sympathetic and even noble and benevolent. Usually, hive-minds are villainous, almost Lovecraftian monstrosities. And to make it so relatable as well; now that's some creative writing. When I finish this episode, I viewed it as The Phone Booth's best work yet. How could Keenan possibly top this one?

Episode six is titled "What I Know." Joe receives a phone call early in the morning. It's from a fourteen-year-old, named Cedric Appleton, who has just gotten his powers. Specifically, his power is omniscience, and he's calling to give an interview before he kills himself. 

Well, would you look at that, he was able to top the last episode. Truly omniscient characters are some of the hardest to write, but Keenan pulls it off. Apparently, fourteen is the age at which superpowers manifest for the children, including those born after B-Day. There doesn't appear to be any rhyme or reason when it comes to powers. It's totally random, no relation to genetics or anything like that. Cedric knows everything, but that means life holds no surprises for him. This drives him into despair. We're all puppets, but he can see the strings...or can he? 

He claims that he saw himself and his crush getting married and having a happy life together, but given what happens at the end of the episode, that seems a bit unlikely. I think he actually see things that could be, not things that will be. Remember, we only have Cedric's word for how his powers work. So maybe it isn't that they will occur, but he gives into his supposed fate, and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. 

It is often said that there is a difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is accumulating information, but wisdom is knowing how to use that accumulated information. Even Cedric admits that he often knows, but doesn't understand until later. Plus, I'm hoping he turns out to be wrong that there is no life more advanced than bacteria on other planets. Hey, aliens could make for interesting story material. Then, at the end of the episode, a bombshell drops that changes everything. What is it? Well, you're gonna have to find that out for yourself. It does without say that this episodes earned its place as my other favorite of the bunch. 

Do I have any complaints or criticism? You mean apart from wishing I had more episodes to listen to, because these six were so good? I got nothing. I'm eagerly awaiting season two of The Phone Booth. There's so much potential for stories. There's lot of superpowers that could make for interesting stories.

What would I like to see in the next season? Well, it is mentioned that some people became human-animal hybrids, so learning more about that would be nice. Getting the perspective of people without powers would be good. Seeing how B-Day effected the world outside of America would be good. That said, there's still a lot of places in America to explore. For example, how might B-Day effect a Native American reservation, or the lives of people in the inner city? The Phone Booth is an alternate history, so how have historical events that happened between 2004 and now been effected? We've touched on religion, but how did pre-existing ones react to B-Day? Also, how did those pre-existing superheroes react, and how are they doing these days? What's it like to be someone who can breathe water, but not air? 

Mind you, I'm not demanding that any of these things have to be included in season two. The point I'm trying to make is that there is a ton of potential for new stories. From what I've seen in the first season, I have full confidence in Keenan's writing abilities, and I eagerly await to see what he comes up with. 

So there you have it. Season one of The Phone Booth is an anthology show, of sorts, about ordinary people finding their way in a world of superpowers. Check it out today, you'll be glad that you did. 

Well, I think that's enough from me for now. I will see you guys next time.